"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from youselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do " (Eph. 2:8,9).

Thursday, May 6, 2010

My New Hero

She's the type of gymnast I strive to be.

A friend to everyone; no matter what level or age they may be.

She is a leader and isn't afraid to play that role in life.

She's full of personality and loves to play and have fun!

She's very confident in herself but she's also just as humble.

She's one of the highest level gymnasts in region II.

She's Baely Rowe!

The first day entering Auburn Gymnastics I realized this was not just a team of gymnasts. Auburn is a team of sisters and friends. They were not what I expected, not what I had heard from everyone. They were quick to welcome me, even though my gymnastics level was nowhere near what most of theirs were. Likewise, the coaches treated me as an equal, more or less. They arn't pushing me as much as some of the other girls, but that doesn't mean that they arn't pushing me and making me a better gymnast. When I first met Baely, she was one of the girls who quickly said hi and introduced herself. I knew of Baely prior to ever seeing her in person. I had heard many things about her; some good and some bad. So far with what I have seen of her, I have nothing to say but good things. She led us through warm up and did it with such a confident attitude I couldn't help but admire her leadership role. She is well aware of the fact that she is a top level 10, and on the verge of elite yet she is respectful to every single person in the gym. There is a difference between arrogance and confidence, and Baely conveys that well to all of her teammates. Her example is not only what one would hope to see in a gymnast, but in a person as well.

There's a harder side to being the top gymnast in a high level gym. She is pushed harder than possibly any gymnast there. I have seen her shed many tears but they are tears of frusteration. The tears that reminded me of a gymnast I used to be. Crying doesn't mean you arn't good enough, arn't strong enough; rather they signify that you care enough about the sport to do the one thing that some people look down on; to give in and cry. And when I came to realize this, my respect for her became even stronger. Thus this is why Baely, even though she's 4 years younger than me; is my hero!

Good Luck at Nationals Rowe!

Not her best routine, but it's from one of her biggest meets and I<3 her floor routine and music!